While we are all about keeping the kids busy, sometimes quiet time is needed. But quiet time doesn’t need to mean nap time (even if parents do savor that time)! There are so many activities out there to keep the kiddos quietly occupied. During daycare, there are plenty of times we get the kids together to work on an activity and sometimes they are so focused, the silence can be golden. Below, we’ll go through some ideas for quiet activities that can be done both at daycare and at home.
Smooth Silence with Felt
Felt is an amazing tool for quiet activities that is often used during childcare. Available at almost any retailer, this soft, crafty cloth can easily be cut into any shape and has just enough friction to stick to itself. With an awesome array of colors, you can create activities for quite a few age ranges, too! For the little kids, you can cut out simple shapes in a bunch of different colors and they can work on sorting by those simple categories. As they grow older, you can create entire landscapes. For example, a big piece of light blue and on it, they can stick shapes of animals, plants, different sun or moon shapes, you name it. Let the creativity roll.
One of our favorite activities is to cut out a shape of Mr. Potato Head and then a bunch of the face accessories. The kids can spend hours making different faces without using the plastic! If you’re not up for crafting, you can even purchase felt books or felt activities already made for fun. No work for you.
Lace it Up
Another activity that is an oldie, but a goodie during childcare is lacing with yarn. All you really need is some cardboard, some colorful yarn, and a hole punch (for the adults). Take a decent-sized piece of cardboard, punch some random holes, give the kids some yarn (maybe start a few holes for them), and watch them go. They can “sew” or “lace” crazy patterns and shapes. All while being super quiet!
Building Blocks
While at childcare, we’ve even been known to make blocks out of sponges for a super quiet activity. All you have to do is cut some sponges into log shapes (long rectangles) and let them go. It’s like Jenga without the hard blocks!
Honestly, the loudest part about blocks is them falling. To eliminate this, you could also get some age appropriate Legos or Duplos! This, again, can take the crafty part out if you’re not keen on that sort of thing. Kids have been known to spend a ton of (quiet!) time creating with building blocks. Not only is this activity quiet, but it also gives you an awesome glimpse into their amazing imaginations.
At daycare, we find it’s the creative activities that keep the kids most quiet. Give them something to do with their hands, and they’re set. If you’ve exhausted all of these options and are not sure what else to do, the best quiet activity they can do is read. There are books for children of every age. They start off with black and white and bold colors and shapes, and move into sight words, then sentences, eventually taking your big kids to chapter books. What better way to stay quiet, while encouraging the use of their minds and imagination, than to look at a book! For more information on the quiet time activities we love best, contact us here.